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Dr. Diane White-Clayton—composer, soprano, pianist, choral conductor, workshop clinician, author, minister and speaker—is a native of Washington, DC where she began performing at the age of four. She holds a Ph.D. and MA in Music Composition from the University of California, Santa Barbara and received her Bachelor of Arts in Music with honors from the Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. As an Ambassador of Goodwill, she studied on a Rotary Scholarship to Paris, France, studying piano at the Ecole Normale de Musique. A highly acclaimed performer of classical, gospel and jazz, she has held positions with such institutions as Grinnell College, Appalachian State University, Westmont College, the University of California at Santa Barbara, the Washington Performing Arts Society and the St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre Company.
Her choral compositions have been performed across the globe and she travels extensively as a performer and conductor of workshops throughout the United States and abroad. Affectionately known as “Dr. Dee,” she has self-produced recordings and several published compositions. Diane is on staff as a Choral Conductor at the 6,000-member Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, California and is the Artistic Director of the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers. She also works as a Vocal Clinician for Disney Performing Arts, and is a member of the faculty at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California where she resides with her husband, accomplished R&B percussionist, Joe Clayton.
